This invention relates to water toys, and more particularly, a water toy incorporating a pump-activated fountain.
Most infants and young children enjoy playing in water. Young minds are fascinated with the fluid nature of the substance. Further, by examining water and its behaviors when water is subject to different conditions, young children are not only amused, but their young minds are also stimulated by the experience.
There are numerous bath and pool toys on the market that are both fun and stimulating for young children, but in general, there are not many bath or pool toys that spray or project one or more streams of water. Those that do exist typically utilize one of the following sources to provide for the dynamic movement of water: (1) a central pressurized water source via a faucet; (2) gravity such as is used in the bath retainer toy taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,621,928 and the construction water toy taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,472; and (3) a manually operated pumping device such as is used in the child""s play shower taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,329. Each of these sources when associated with a child""s toy has disadvantages. For instance, using water from a faucet is potentially wasteful of this increasingly limited natural resource. Further, allowing water to continue to flow into a bathtub could cause the water level in the tub to increase until it is deeper than is safe for the particular child in the tub. Concerning gravity, either a parent or the child must manually lift a container of water into an elevated reserve from which the water flows. The effort necessary to constantly refill the reserve may detract from the continuous enjoyment of a toy""s dynamic water features. Like the need to constantly refill a reserve of water when relying upon gravity, the need to manually pump the water is also potentially detracting from the enjoyment of the dynamic water features. Additionally, infants lacking the necessary dexterity and motor skills may not be able to perform the manual tasks required to power the dynamic water features.
AC-powered pumps are well known that can provide the necessary water flow to enable dynamic water features, yet the use of AC power in or near a tub or pool of water that has a child contained therein is generally not wise. Consider that if the wires of an electrical cord that runs through the pool of water is cut or otherwise exposed to the water, approximately 120 volts of electricity with up to 15 amps of current would be passed through the water. This level of electrical energy would seriously injure any person in or touching the water and might even be fatal. Accordingly, no bathtub or pool water toys are known that utilize AC-powered pumps.
Additionally, no bathtub toys are known that utilize DC-powered pumps. There are several potential reasons for this: the typical battery powered pump either does not provide a sufficient amount of flow in gallons per hour (GPH), or the battery or battery pack required to operate the device is too powerful to be safely used in a body of water containing a child.
A one preferred embodiment of a water toy comprises a battery-powered pump that is at least partially submersible. The pump is connected to a themed amusement assembly via a fluid conduit. The themed amusement assembly includes at least one spout out of which water streams during the operation of the toy. At least one character is removably mounted over the spout such that water appears to stream from the character during the toy""s operation.
Another preferred embodiment of the water toy also comprises a battery-operated pump. The pump is fluidly coupled to a faceplate assembly by way of tubing. The faceplate assembly includes a faceplate with one or more connectors coupled therewith to removably secure the faceplate assembly to a generally vertical surface. The faceplate assembly also includes one or more fluid passages that terminate in an outlet. A portion of the faceplate assembly immediately surrounding the outlet is configured to resemble a character.
Yet another preferred embodiment of the water toy includes a battery operated pump that is at least partially submersible. The pump also includes one or more suction cups adapted to removably secure it to a surface. Tubing fluidly couples the pump with a faceplate assembly. The faceplate assembly comprises a faceplate, at least one spout from which water streams during the toy""s operation, one or more suction cups, and a character. The suction cups on the faceplate assembly are adapted to removably secure the faceplate assembly to a generally vertical surface. The character is removably mountable over the spout such that water appears to stream from the character when the toy is in operation.
Numerous other embodiments and variations of the embodiments are also contemplated as is provided in this specification including the appended claims and as would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art with the benefit of this disclosure.